Naito's lawyer walked to the front of the courtroom, "ladies and gentlemen, all this talk about child molestation starting from age seven? Is there any evidence of these time periods?"

Masuda stood up, "objection, Your Honor. Expert witness Hase Asao-sensei stated that the area of penetration had scar tissue built over years of abuse."

"Sustained," she laced her fingers together and waited for the angered attorney to continue.

"As the son of Satan, we cannot dismiss the possibility that Okumura Rin is doing his father's work by ridding the world of religion-"

"Objection-

"Overruled."

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering in my chest. Are they really going to play this card against me? I suppose I should've expected this, they needed every card they could use.

"As I was saying, Fujimoto Shiro-sama's death was ruled as a homicide, then re-logged as a suicide after his funeral. However, Okumura Rin was there when his father died. Shouldn't the boy have known exactly what happened, leading to no confusion? Does that not raise any suspicions?"

"Your Honor; Lack of Foundation!" Masuda was trying everything he could to shut down this theory. However, the judge seemed intrigued by it, which horrified me.

"I'll allow it."

My eyes were wide and my breathing was hitched. They thought I murdered my Dad for the wellbeing of Satan? I felt vomit rise in my throat and I clamped a hand over my mouth and shoved my chair back, ready to dart over to a trash can. I squeezed my eyes shut as a buzz erupted in the room, my behavior catching everyone's attention.

"Are you alright?" Masuda spoke softly next to me and I nodded, dropping my hand and taking a deep breath.

"Order in the Court!" The judged slammed her gavel, causing the chatter in the room to quiet. She motioned to Naito's attorney and he straightened himself out.

"The Defense calls Naito Ryo to the stand." My eyes widened again and I watched with terror as Naito stood up and limped to the podium. I swallowed hard and tried not to squirm in my seat. I was so caught up in my discomfort I missed half of what his attorney asked. "-have sexual interactions with Okumura Rin?"

"I did," his voice was low and caused fear to strangle my chest, but my shock outweighed everything else. He admitted it? Why did he plead not guilty, then? My stomach started to twist and I had a feeling things were about to get dirty.

"Why?"

His eyes glanced over at the jury, "he made me do it."

What?!

"Under what circumstances could he; a child, have made an adult submit?"

Naito sighed, remorse in his eyes. "He has burned me on more than one occasion. The child is far stronger than any man I know, he threatened to kill me if I didn't do as he wished." The more he spoke, the less I understood. He was pinning everything on me?

"And what did he wish?"

"He'd told me that he was homosexual, but that it was hard for him to get a boyfriend with his... lifestyle. As any man of God, I tried to put him on the right path. However, he got angry with me and lashed out, that was the first assault."

While Naito spoke, a low growl seemed to grow louder behind me. With wide eyes, I gave a backward glance at my friends, only to see a livid Yukio. I saw his eyes flash and teal orbs contorted into the eyes of a man willing to kill. Shiemi and Bon had him held back, both of them whispering to him, demanding that he not cause a fuss.

Slowly, I returned my eyes to the front of the room. Surely this was a dream, this was too far-fetched to be reality. My nightmare from before seemed more real than this could ever be. I took a shaky breath and continued to listen to the bastard speak. "Ever since then, he used me for his pleasure. I hated every moment of it, but I did what I had to survive."

This couldn't be happening, I wasn't the one at fault here. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my racing heart. I tuned out everyone else and focused on my breathing, which was wavering on the point of hyperventilation.

This is what happens when you tell.

Bad things happen to boys who tattle.

The son of Satan, you will never be considered human. If you go to prison, no one would care if you were treated horribly. You're a creature who sabotaged the life of a good priest. Everyone wants you dead, even you want you dead.

I imagined what my life would've been like if I'd kept this all a secret. I'd be at school at the moment, probably smiling and laughing with my peers as if nothing had happened two weeks ago. I'd fall asleep in cram school, and have Yukio lecture me when he got home. At least he wouldn't have the burden of the truth weighing him down. He's missed two days of school in a row now, all because of me. What if he suffers because of that? How could I ever live with myself if Yukio lost the clean record he'd worked for?

The chair moved next to me and I snapped out of my daydream, my breathing still ragged. Masuda stood up and walked over to where the jury was seated. I glanced around and noticed that Naito was seated back in his chair, as well as his attorney. "People of the jury, we mustn't forget the evidence that was presented before us. The injuries inflicted on my client are too severe to be created by himself. The DNA that shows that Naito Ryo has had sexual contact with a minor, along with the signs of a struggle on the child's part."

Masuda nodded to the judge, "no further comments, Your Honor." He walked back to his seat and closed his file, setting a thinner manilla folder on top.

"Defense; what is your closing argument?" Closing argument? My eyes darted around, looking for a clock, but there was none. How much did I miss while I was spaced out? Blinking rapidly, I shifted my gaze to Naito's lawyer, who copied Masuda and walked over to the jury.

"Naito Ryo is an innocent man, manipulated by the son of Satan. While not entirely innocent, my client has not forced his hand onto a minor. Survival is our most basic instinct, and the fear for those more powerful than us can make a man commit heinous crimes. Do not buy into that child's lies," he shoved his finger in my direction.

"Objection!"

"Sustained." The judge scolded the attorney and threatened to sanction him if he went out of line once more. My eyes widened, even I knew that was a bad thing, especially since his job was on the line.

Naito's lawyer seemed irked, "Naito Ryo is an innocent man, who has been wrongfully accused of child sex abuse." He turned away, "no further comment."

"The jury will now go into deliberation, court is at recess until three in the afternoon today. All parties involved in the case are required to stay in the building until the verdict is passed." The judge slammed her gavel down and people immediately starting moving from their seats. Masuda rose as well and walked to the bailiff, handing him the manilla folder I'd seen a few moments earlier.

Most of the newscasters and journalists left, leaving the accused and the accuser alone with the witnesses and support. I bit down on my lip and stared at my hands which were placed in my lap. Breathing deeply, I convinced myself that everything would go as planned. Naito would be convicted and serve decades in prison. I'd be free to live my life without the fear of being assaulted by him again.

My eyes darted over to Naito, who seemed complacent. His lawyer was speaking to him in a hushed tone, a smirk creeping onto his face. I huffed, my foot tapping anxiously on the hardwood floor. An hour? How on earth was I going to make it through that amount of time without breaking down? I shifted in my seat and met the gazes of my friends and brother. "I don't know if I can do this," I whispered, my voice shaking.

Yukio moved to stand, but I stopped him, holding my hands up defensively. "Please, no. I'll actually breakdown if you touch me." I ground my teeth and took a deep breath. Yukio sat back down, a sullen look in his eyes.

"I can't believe that bastard spewed all those lies, he deserved to rot in Hell for that alone." I heard him audibly grind his teeth as well and I flinched.

"You were spaced out for like twenty minutes, were you okay?" Shiemi's voice was as timid as I felt, and I gave her a sad smile.

"Twenty? Good lord, time passed quickly..." I closed my eyes and took another calming breath, my fingers running over the fabric of my jeans. "I'm okay now, thanks for asking."

"What's going to happen now?" Shima said, his usual bitterness seemed shrouded by the angst.

As if on cue, Masuda reappeared, seemingly out of thin air. "The jury is going to discuss everything that was presented to them. They have all photo evidence and documents from our side." He stretched out in his chair, seemingly unconcerned about the trials outcome. "The bailiff will stand out side the jury's room, to make sure that no one gets in, or out."

"W-Why would he do that?" I stammered.

He glanced over at me, pity in his eyes. "Jurors aren't allowed any outside opinions on the subject. News reports, articles, text messages, they can sway one person. And that person could then sway the rest of the jury, which is unjust." I nodded, my knowledge of the justice system was basic at best. "They are allowed to use common sense and real-world experiences to sway each other, however."

"That's perfect!" Shima stated, a glint of hope shining in his eyes. "This is a sexual assault case, there's got to be at least one woman in there who has been affected by it. That'll work in our favor!"

Masuda shook his head, shifting and moving his chair to face my friends a bit better. "The jurors were chosen randomly, but if any of them have a bias in the case's material, they will be replaced by another juror. Justice gives equal chance to both the plaintiff and the defendant, that's the way it has to be."

I swallowed hard, "I missed a lot of what Naito's lawyer was saying..."

My own raised an eyebrow, but held his tongue at my obliviousness. "They really did dig up some dirt on you. They painted you as a creature with no morals, a beast of the night. I'm not going to lie, while he spoke, I saw some of the jurors begin to actually show interest in what he was saying. He may have fooled a few, but;" he gave me a sly look, "they may have painted a picture, but we have actual photo's."

I nodded, "those photo's will be the death of me."

"It may be humiliating on your part, but it puts the nails in his coffin."

.oOo.

I was tracing the wood grain of the table when things started to rustle around me. The courtroom doors opened and the news reporters and all the others reappeared, taking their seats in the back like before. I glanced over at Yukio, who held up his phone, his home screen was dimly lit, and I barely caught sight of the time; 2:55.

A lump formed in my throat and I swallowed around it. There was no point in freaking out now, not when I'd have answers within a few minutes. These answers would either make, or break my entire life, however, and that was taxing for me.

My fingers tapped nervously when the judge reappeared, sitting in her seat and going through some papers. I've never been so anxious in my entire life. At least in the past, I had some sort of inkling about what was to come. But I was completely blind to this, and the situation was dire, to top it off.

The bailiff returned, followed by all members of the jury. The judge set her papers down and looked expectantly at the group.

"Has the jury come to a verdict?"

A woman stood, a paper in her hand, "yes, Your Honor."